Currently there are a myriad of resources on Harry Potter online: news, quotes, galleries, lexica, shops, message boards and chat rooms, fan fiction and many more things.

Scribbulus aims to complement the many discussions on the Leaky Lounge Forum by encouraging individual fans to dig deeper into the Harry Potter series and to present their thoughts coherently. We hope that these efforts will enhance our collective understanding of Harry Potter and increase fandom capacity for this richness.

Finally (and most importantly!), Scribbulus aims to increase the general respect of Harry Potter as great literature by providing great analyses! Unfortunately, the Harry Potter books are often not considered great literature, because they are believed to be children’s books, fantasy, or simply too popular.

Occasionally we will be looking for new staff. When more editing staff is needed, we will post openings on the Job Openings page of Leaky. We may ask to see a resume and samples of essays that you have written. An essay submission to Scribbulus is also recommended. If you have applied and not heard back, please be patient; we have received your application and will get to it as soon as possible.

You can participate in the discussion in the Scribbulus discussion section of the Leaky Lounge forum. A link to the specific discussion thread for each essay is provided at the bottom of the essay page. Please remember to be respectful of the author even though you disagree with their ideas. And, of course, all forum rules do apply.

There are some guidelines about what is appropriate on the submission guidelines page. If you are still unsure, send us a private message or an e-mail explaining what your essay is about, and we let you know!

I am trying to get my essay on Harry Potter published – can you help me? [TOP]

Unfortunately, Scribbulus, or its staff, does not have any ties to publishers. If you are trying to get an essay published, you might want to check with the publisher before putting it on the web. If you do later publish an essay that was first published on Scribbulus (in a book or on another website), we would greatly appreciate it being credited, for instance with the words “first published by Scribbulus at The Leaky Cauldron, January 2008,” including a link if appropriate.

My essay has previously been published in another source, can I still submit it to Scribbulus? [TOP]

We prefer to offer our readers original essays that have never been published online before. However, this is not a hard and fast rule and your essay could be an exception, so it can’t hurt to try. The Scribbulus editing staff will need to be convinced of the fact that your essay is your own original work. Please be aware that essays that have previously been published elsewhere will still have to adhere to Scribbulus standards and will be subjected to the same reviewing and editing process as other submissions.

I missed the submission deadline for one of the topic calls, can I still submit my essay? And can I submit an essay on other topics as well? [TOP]

Yes! Absolutely. The topic “calls” are meant to give aspiring writers ideas and inspiration. Furthermore, it can be nice to have several essays on the same topic so you can compare and contrast different points of view. However, these topics are mere suggestions ’ you can write an essay on any topic you like, as long as it relates to Harry Potter. If you have missed a submission deadline, your essay will simply be considered for a later issue.

Yes, as long at it relates specifically to Harry Potter. Please make sure your essay complies with the guidelines before submitting it.

Your formatting guidelines look complicated, do I have to adhere to them to the letter?[TOP]

The Scribbulus formatting guidelines are meant to help the editors process your essay faster and more efficiently. Please adhere to them as much as you can. However, we accept that proper referencing in Chicago style can be difficult and daunting when you have never done it before. Just do as much as you can ’ the Scribbulus editors are happy to help once your essay has been accepted for publication.

I have submitted an essay some time ago, but other than an acknowledgment of receipt, I have not heard back from you. What is going on?[TOP]

If you have received an acknowledgment of receipt, it means your essay is in our system and we are processing it. We can receive up to 25 essays a month, each of which are extensively reviewed by a minimum of three editors before a decision is made. Please remember that Scribbulus is a volunteer project, and the editors work on it in their spare time. Please be patient, we promise we will get back to you.